Randy Cox Receives $45M Settlement After Being Paralyzed In Police Van

The city of New Haven, Connecticut, is paying for its actions in a historic settlement with the family of a Black man who was paralyzed in a police van.

According to Connecticut Public Radio, Randy Cox, 36, and his family will receive a $45 million settlement from the city in Connecticut to resolve all claims against New Haven. The city’s insurance will pay $30 million, The Hill reported. New Haven will pay $15 million.

U.S. District Judge of Connecticut, Magistrate Judge Maria Garcia, oversaw the settlement conference for all involved parties. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump represented the Cox family. In a statement, Crump said, “This historic settlement reflects the commitment of New Haven leadership to fully value Randy Cox’s life and support him through the difficult journey ahead. The city’s mistakes have been well documented. But today is a moment to look to the future, so New Haven residents can have confidence in their city and their police department.” He noted the settlement was a historic moment. “As the largest settlement in a police misconduct case in our nation’s history, this settlement sends a message to the country that we know we must be better than this.”

The Cox family originally filed a $100 million lawsuit in 2022, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported.

BLACK ENTERPRISE also previously reported five police officers were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty, both misdemeanors. The officers were identified as Sgt. Betsy Segui, Officer Oscar Diaz, Officer Ronald Pressley, Officer Jocelyn Lavandier, and Officer Luis Rivera.

Cox was being driven to a New Haven police station for processing on a weapons charge nearly one year ago, on June 19, 2022. He went headfirst into a metal partition in the van when the driver suddenly stopped at an intersection.